2009 came and went all too quickly for Wii owners, with a distinct lack of big titles from Nintendo themselves and third-party efforts that kept hitting the good-but-not-quite-great mark. 2010 promises to be infinitely better for the Wii, just like the other formats, with the return of three of Nintendo’s biggest franchises, plus a wealth of other promising games from the likes of Capcom, Ubisoft and Rising Star Games.

You already know the score with the three big titles from Nintendo. Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M and (if we’re lucky) the next Zelda are obviously going to be massive titles, and have quite rightly secured spots in every ‘top 5 to look forward to in 2010’ out there. Though not this one.

“Why is that?” we hear you cry at the back. It’s not because we don’t think they are worthy enough, but more that we feel you’ll probably buy them anyway, whatever we have to say. No, dear reader, instead we’d like to point you in the direction of five games we think will prove to be great stop-gaps between Nintendo’s trinity of juggernauts.

Monster Hunter Tri

This is quite possibly the biggest ‘core’ third-party release on the Wii this year. It’s hard to imagine just how big the Monster Hunter franchise has become in Japan; sales of the PSP versions have rivaled recent Pokemon and Final Fantasy releases. Nintendo has recognised this is a key title, especially after the furore surrounding SquareEnix’s decision to move its development from the PS3 to the Wii, and have really gotten behind the title in Japan. At the time of writing, sales sit just shy of a million units – the biggest selling third-party title so far in Japan. So what kind of game is it? Well, as the title suggests, you hunt and kill monsters in a massive fantasy world, a bit like an online Pokemon. Capcom have gone all out to produce the best looking Wii game ever (prompting Nintendo to announce they are aiming to match or beat Capcom’s title with the next Zelda), and have promised to let western Wii gamers play online completely free. There probably won’t be a better way to spend 200+ hours on the Wii next year.

Endless Ocean 2

Sometimes gamers need a change of pace; a way to escape those alternative virtual careers as space soldiers, medieval warriors or Italian plumbers. Endless Ocean was a great game to play when you needed a relaxing break, but it was a bit too laid back for its own good. It also lacked variety, although the tropical setting was incredibly beautiful all the same. Both criticisms have been fixed for the sequel, with a more structured single player experience and six different environments waiting to be explored. There’s also an added sense of danger, as the fish you come across could turn on you at any moment, hence the addition of a pulsar gun to keep them at bay. If you need to unwind, look no further than this game.

Red Steel 2

We’ve already managed to get a promising hands-on with Ubisoft’s sequel to their biggest launch title. If the rest of the game plays as well as the demo we tried then they could be on to a winner here. Red Steel 2 mixes samurai sword-fighting with a wild west setting, something that immediately marks it out of the crowd. Following complaints about the original, Ubisoft have focused on refining the sword play elements and put a lot more effort into the presentation side of things. Now the Metroid series has returned to its third-person roots, this will undoubtedly be the biggest FPS on the Wii next year.

Tatsunoko vs Capcom

Sadly, Wii owners never got the chance to sample the delights of Street Fighter IV. But being the pleasant chaps they are, Capcom did their best to provide a decent alternative. The biggest surprise surrounding this game isn’t the fact Capcom chose to release it on a format not known for die-hard fighting games, or that it turned out to be almost as good as SF IV. No, the fact it is getting a western release at all, given the high contingent of obscure anime characters, has been a pleasant surprise to even the most hardcore beat-em-up fan. As with Monster Hunter Tri, Capcom have done a fair amount of extra work for the western version, with a slew of extra characters and arenas, and a more refined fighting engine.

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle

No More Heroes is pretty much the only mature third-party title on the Wii that can be called a must-have. This quirky game riffed on gaming conventions and was absolutely dripping with references to film and gaming culture. The combat wasn’t half bad either, Travis’ battles against each of the Santa Destroy’s eleven rival assassins are among the most entertaining collection of boss battles in any action title. But probably the best thing to come out of the game was main hero Travis Touchdown, possibly the coolest otaku with a light-sabre the gaming world has ever seen. Part two follows Travis’ rise through the national assassins ranks and promises more action, more outrageous bosses and more coconut collecting mini-games.

In just a few short weeks, a red-suited, brandy-swilling fat man will be breaking into your home and leaving a present or two under your tree. If you’ve made it onto Santa’s ‘nice’ list and don’t have any ideas what to ask him for, then maybe GameBrit can help you. We devised a highly complicated set of formulas to reveal the best possible games you could hope to get for the Nintendo Wii this Christmas. Unfortunately this list included two Yoga games, a collection of crossword puzzles and adaptations of Deal Or No Deal and All-Star Family Fortunes. So we went back to the drawing board, put on our thinking caps and used every other cliche in our big book of clichés to come up with the definitive Christmas buying guide for Wii owners.

So without further stalling for time, here are our top five Christmas picks:

5. A Boy & His Blob

2D platforming has seen a bit of a resurgence in recent years, and this Christmas the Wii is home to three of the best 2D games of this generation. One of them is already at number 1 on this list (no prizes for guessing what that is) but we found it pretty tough to choose between side-scrolling RPG, Muramasa, and WayForward’s A Boy and his Blob.

This beautiful reimaging of the classic NES title just about edges it. From the wonderful hand-drawn art to the subtly challenging puzzling, this is one of the most pleasant gaming experiences we’ve had in a long time. If you’ve found your love of gaming has been nearly extinguished by a torrent of generic ‘me-too’ games then this is guaranteed to rekindle that spark.

4. Dead Space: Extraction

Another genre that’s been given a second wind, thanks to the Wii is the arcade shooter. This year has seen two other great light-gun games released (House of the Dead: Overkill and Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles) but it’s Visceral Games’ title that really impressed us.

This prequel to last year’s surprise hit Dead Space may have caused controversy by switching genres but it has lost none of the intensity of its grander cousin. There isn’t a better horror title on Wii at the moment, nor are there many better looking than this.

3. Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympics

Christmas is the ideal time to bring out party games and the Wii has more than its fair share of these. Most are absolutely terrible but this, the second Mario & Sonic sports title, is both well made and highly addictive – a great combination in our eyes.

Whether you fancy flinging Knuckles down a ski slope or partaking in a spot of curling with Yoshi you’ll find enough different sports to keep you and the whole family entertained. With online leaderboards and unlockable ‘dream’ events (winter sports given a Mario or Sonic themed make-over), this will keep you hooked for months.

2. Little King’s Story

The Wii has no good games. Third parties don’t support Wii. Wii games are for kids. Blah-blah, whinge-whinge, boo-hoo. If one thing was highlighted this year it was that self-proclaimed hardcore Wii gamers are absolute idiots. Great titles like Mad World, The Conduit and Dead Space: Extraction disappeared into the mists of time, with pitifully low sales figures that must surely have rung bells of doom amongst publishers looking to put money into Wii development.

The biggest travesty was that Little King’s Story, one of the most charmingly addictive games of this generation, sank without a trace. A mesmerising mix of real-time strategy and world-building, this even trumped Nintendo’s Pikmin franchise for complexity and heart-warming charm. If you have a Wii and haven’t bought this yet it’s time to make amends. GO. BUY. THIS. GAME.

1. New Super Mario Bros Wii

It was probably the most obvious choice for the top spot and not without good reason. Not only is NSMB Wii one of the most challenging 2D Mario games ever, but it’s also an absolutely cracking multiplayer experience. Spin-offs like Mario Party, Mario Kart and Mario Tennis may have provided plenty of multiplayer madness in the past but they can’t hold a candle to the fun in NSMB Wii’s four-player sessions.

Whether you are playing co-operatively or competitively, the action never lets up for a second as you contest for coins, power-ups and points. While it may feel like a best-of compilation of previous Mario games, Nintendo have really upped the ante in terms of difficulty and longevity so expect to be glued to this for the whole holiday period and beyond.

Gamebrit.com opened it’s doors back in August of 2008, but us as a team have been gaming for a large number of years, so, in a incredibly late fashion, it’s with pleasure that we present to you the first annual Gamebrit Awards.

The Gamebrit Awards aim to celebrate the best in videogaming from the past twelve months, and not only are we honoring all games on all major platforms, we will also be selecting the best home grown title; along with the best game developed right here in the United Kingdom.

All the titles in the categories below were pre selected by Gamebrit’s staff team and after much further debate an overall winner was chosen. We hope you agree that our choices are deservedly awarded, if not be sure to join the debate on our forums to discuss the awards and the industry as a whole with like-minded gamers.

The visuals of SimCity 3000 combined with the gameplay of SimCity 2000 gave us the biggest and most ambitious iPhone app of 2008: SimCity iPhone from EA. With the ability to pinch in and out of your custom-built city to edit those fine details, this rendition of SC is both pretty on the eye, and pretty damn playable. The fun, addicting gameplay that you remember from the PC version remain intact to give great value for your £5.99 to provide hours of high fun.

Nintendo DS Game Of The Year

Winner – Professor Layton And The Curious Village

Nominations:Advance Wars: Day of Ruin
Apollo Justice
The World ends with you
Soul Bubbles

It took its sweet time to arrive here but Professor Layton and the Curious Village was worth the wait. After a clever ad campaign and word-of-mouth it became one of the most sought after titles over the Christmas period, selling out across the country and fetching stupid prices on eBay. This popularity was no accident as Professor Layton is one of the most addictive and engrossing games of the year and a great bridge title to bring together new and old gamers.

The people behind LocoRoco have once again delivered a game that’s crazy, original and downright addictive. Patapon built on the idea of simple 2D graphics and combined it with a rhythm led, side scrolling, fighting game. This may sound like an unusual match but it’s an instant hit and has won critical acclaim across the industry. It covers all bases providing artistic visuals, perfectly mapped controls and a soundtrack that will get stuck in your head and won’t let go. This is not only one of the PSP’s finest but a game that should be experienced by everyone.

Despite being out for more than a year, Criterion, another UK based developer, have been supporting Burnout Paradise with a slew of downloadable content since release, it’s this continued support along with a amazingly thorough game to build upon that make Burnout Paradise our multiplayer game of the year. A solid multiplayer experience, different to any other racing game make Burnout Paradise such an appealing multiplayer affair. The open structure of the multiplayer gave gamers a choice in how to play which is still refreshing more than a year after release.

Download Game Of The Year

Winner – Braid (XBLA)

Nominations:Geometry Wars 2
Lost Winds
Pixel Junk Monsters
Megaman 9

An independently developed title takes the scoop for downloadable game of the year. Braid (available on Xbox Live) married beautifully unique visuals with captivating and thought provoking gameplay. A highly satisfying puzzle challenge with indefinte style. Jonathon Blow, congratulations.

Coming from a small office in Guildford, newly formed Media Molecule gave the world not only LittleBigPlanet but also a fresh approach to games development. They’ve drawn on 70+ years of combined gaming experience and are packed full of people who love making and playing games. This is incredibly clear from the game they’ve made so far and the community feel they’ve created that surrounds everything they do. The Media Molecule ‘family’ has got a bright future ahead of them and it’s genuinely exciting to wonder what project they’ll embark on next.

PC Game Of The Year

Winner – Red Alert 3

Nominations:Spore
Football Manager 2009
Far Cry 2
GTA 4

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is the famous phrase, but EA went ahead and fixed it anyway, by introducing a fully playable online co-op campaign. Fortunately nothing has stopped the consistency of the Red Alert franchise from being the awesome Real Time Strategy gaming series that we all remember, as the third (if played alongside a friend) could be considered the best yet of the trilogy. It may not do a great deal to introduce new players to the series, but RA fanboys will be drooling over HD Tesla Tanks, heavy naval combat and most importantly… Jenny McCarthy and Gemma Atkinson wearing leather in HD!

Fresh from new developers Media Molecule, LittleBigPlanet put creativity back in the hands of players. Combining classic platforming with a do-it-yourself attitude, this game established itself amongst the PS3’s elite titles. Add to this an adorable lead character, limitless customization and one of the most fun multiplayer experiences around and you have an incredibly enjoyable game. With the ongoing content updates as well as the numerous user built levels being uploaded every day, LittleBigPlanet’s hold on the gaming world isn’t due to end anytime soon.

Wii Game Of The Year

Winner – Smash Bros Brawl

Nominations:No More Heroes
Mario Kart Wii
De Blob
Zack & Wiki

Despite all the massive hype, director Masahiro Sakurai managed to deliver on just about all his promises for this sequel. The impressive selection of playable characters, stages cameos and nods to the company’s glossy past made this a virtual wet dream for Nintendo fans around the globe and it quickly became one of the best selling hardcore titles of the year. The addition of a fully-fledged single player, online options and level editors gave gamers even more reasons to immerse themselves in the Smash Bros universe.

Xbox 360 Game Of The Year

Winner – Gears Of War 2

Nominations:GTA 4
Burnout Paradise
Fallout 3
Fable 2

Gears of War 2 was a highly anticipated sequel to a game that has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and had won many awards in 2007 including Game of the Year. It did not disappoint. A compelling story saw the characters progress in the fight against impossible odds with scenes of great atmosphere. Gripping multiplayer with new modes, such as Horde, meant that Gears of War 2 set a new record for the number of simultaneous players on Xbox Live, with over 1.5 million people logging on to play the game.

As the above mentions, Gears of War 2 offered enough fresh material, coupled with the necessary high standards of graphics and sound, to win both Xbox 360 Game of the Year and Game Brit Game of the Year 2008. Congratulations Epic.